UK man Lauri Love accused of hacking US Federal Reserve

Lawyer: We'll 'vehemently oppose' extradition attempts

The US government have laid more hacking charges against a Brit alleged to have hacked into the US Federal Reserve.

Lauri Love, 28, of Stradishall, Suffolk, is charged with one count of computer hacking and a further charge of aggravated identify theft over an alleged attack on Federal Reserve computer systems between October 2012 and February 2013.

A Department of Justice statement alleges that Love used a SQL injection vulnerability on the Federal Reserve's servers to pull off the attack. The indictment on the Federal Reserve hacking case was unsealed on Thursday (27 February).

Love already stands accused of breaching the security of NASA, the US military and FBI, among other US government agencies, as well as systems elsewhere in the world.

A subsequent US Department of Energy audit concluded that 105,000 identities were siphoned off as a result of the hack. Investigators reckon Love worked with three as yet unnamed Anonymous-affiliated co-conspirators in running the attacks, the BBC adds.

A campaign has been launched to fight any possible extradition bid by the US. Extradition papers have not (yet) been filed.

Karen Todner, who served as Gary McKinnon's solicitor throughout a long-running an ultimately successful campaign against his extradition, commented on Twitter:

US indictment published against Lauri Love. He remains on bail in the UK where we hope these matters will be resolved.

Kaim Todner Solicitors are representing Love. In a statement they said his case was being investigated by the e-crime unit of the UK's National Crime Agency. "If there is an extradition request from the United States it will be vehemently opposed," the firm promised. ®